What better way to spend three gloriously sunny days than to jump on your motorbikes, take the Channel Tunnel train to France, ride to the Champagne region and drink fantastic bubbly with some friends?
That is precisely what seven of us did last weekend.
05:30 and the alarm shook to life, but as before many long riding trips, I was already awake. 30 minutes later I was loading my new custom bike, Amelia and trying very hard to ride it down my street as quietly as possible, in order not to wake the neighbours. I probably failed.
It was chilly as I rode the almost 100 miles to the train terminal and I was glad to get there and warm up while waiting for the train. Nick (HD Street Glide) and his wife Jane (HD Sportster 883 Superlow) were already there. Sumit and Raj (HD Sportster) and Keith and Sue (HD Road King) all arrived soon and we were soon speeding through the tunnel on the train to France. After arriving at Calais, we then rode about 200 miles to get to our base, in Reims.
This is Sumit and Raj on some picturesque French country roads....
We spent Saturday riding around looking at the region, the centre of Champagne production. Only wine produced in the region can be called Champagne, which has been produced here since 1531. From everywhere else, it is called sparkling wine. It was pointed out to me that each field is marked with stones, showing who the grapes belong to....
At one point, we saw a huge sign showing the maker of one of the most well known Champagne producers and of course, had to park the bikes right under it....
With the exception of a few crops, almost nothing else is grown or farmed here but grapes. There are certainly a lot of grapes.....
Overlooking the fields is a strange sight. At about 150 miles from the sea, stands a 200 foot tall lighthouse, built to celebrate and promote the champagne region. We climbed its narrow steps and looked over the straight lines of grape vines....
We went to see the Abbey of Saint Hilaire, where Benedictine Monks made the first champagne. Dom Perignon stayed at the Abbey and gave advice to the monks to improve the quality of the wine. This is Nick and I, leaning against the wall of the Abbey....
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, we went to see the Cathedral in the centre of Reims. Rebuilt after a fire destroyed the original building in AD 1211, the ‘new’ Cathedral is a marvel of design and construction....
At 455 ft long, 98 feet wide and about 125 feet high, the interior of the main Nave is huge. Dark stained glass windows do not let in much light and so the Cathedral is dark and somewhat gloomy, but the side aisles are much brighter....
It was all too much for a couple of elderly oriental gentlemen, who made the most of the quiet and grabbed a quick nap....
Trams run on rails through large parts of the city. Not good on a motorcycle on a wet day, as the rails become very slippery. Thankfully it was a screaming hot day when we were there....
This is Nick, the guy who organised our short trip. Here he is considering the purchase of a new bike....
A graffiti art competition was taking place in the centre of Reims....
We had great food....
.... and even better company.... Sumit, Sue, Raj, Keith, Nick, Jane and yours truly.....
Sunday saw us riding back through France on mainly quiet country roads, arriving back at the tunnel just in time to get the train back under the sea.
A great trip all round.
A great trip all round.
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